The next submission for this fun blog series comes from author Karen Joan Kohoutek. It's a special memory as it demonstrates those rare moments when we were young that helped form our love for this strange holiday.
She shared "I wrote an entire book about my Halloween memories, but in fact, one of my earliest memories is of trick-or-treating. The other is going to a small-town carnival, so obviously I had a Bradbury-esque childhood! I couldn’t have been more than four years old, and we lived in a very small town, on a short street with maybe four houses on each side. My mom made me an Underdog mask, drawing it on a paper bag and cutting it out, and I carried another paper bag with Halloween pictures drawn on it.
One of my older sisters took me to the houses on the block, and I was absolutely dazzled to be outside after dark, walking in the mysterious night air. I don’t remember any other kids, just the two of us in a nearly silent world. Just the trees, and the neighbor houses that all seemed unlike themselves, like we were in a new dimension where nothing was normal. I assume there were lit jack-o-lanterns on the steps and fallen leaves on the sidewalk, because I don’t remember that, but when I see them at night, or certain images of them, I feel a jolt from this memory.
It probably took less than a half hour to go to all the houses and get me back home with my candy, but in some ways I’ve never gotten over that night. The experience somehow imprinted on me, and everything Halloween still fills me with a poignant joy."
And thanks again, Mr. Macabre, for suggesting this series. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
For anyone interested in submitting, you can email me at pumpkinrot @ gmail . com (remove the spaces, of course!)
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